UCSF Center for Healthcare Value - Caring Wisely 2.0

Crowd-sourcing innovative cost savings ideas from the front lines of care delivery systems

Review Complete Proposals

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Waste reduction through cost transparency and personal accountability

Submitted by Eric Mcclain on January 29, 2014 - 6:41am Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

It seems that much of the waste in our system today comes from lack of knowledge as well as lack of consideration of the cost of supplies.  Nurses and doctors often often try to prepare for situations without thinking of the cost of the supplies they have opened, knowing that they may not use them all.  I believe that if we were all aware of the prices of supplies, fewer people would waste them.  Labeling everything in the supply closets with it's price would cost the hospital very little, and the reduction in waste could be huge.

Elevator Efficiency

Submitted by Christine Hui on January 29, 2014 - 4:26am Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

There are multiple elevator systems at the Moffit/Long hospital, however, they are very slow and inefficient. This causes delays in patient transport to procedures and tests and also a delay in healthcare providers reaching patients and creates a domino effect where there is a delay in care and timely decision-making. Elevators should be streamlined so that one elevator only accesses certain floors and the neighboring elevator accesses the remainder of the floors (e.g. Elevator A goes to Basement through 7th floor + 15th floor; Elevator B goes to 8th floor through 14th floor).

Reducing the Cost of Unnecessary IV Medications

Submitted by Zlatan Coralic on January 29, 2014 - 3:30am Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

IV medications cost much more than PO. Prescribers are unaware of the cost difference.

IDEA: Empower the prescriber! During order entry in Apex, display the cost difference for medications that are available in both IV/PO forms. For example, an entry for Doxycycline IV will carry the following message to the prescriber. "Please consider ordering doxycyline via oral route if clinically appropriate. Cost difference $224.65 IV vs $1.24 PO."

SITE: UCSF HEALTH SYSTEM 

Podcast for Nursing policy and procedures with CEs

Submitted by Michael Heggli on January 28, 2014 - 9:10pm Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

I am currently a PCA, but will be part of the new grad rn program.  Policies and procedures are not always followed by even experienced nurses.  Ex.  I have observed two expereinced nurses at UCSF clamping chest tubes for transport.  Our nurses needed to be aware of changes in policies and procedures in order to provide safe care for our patients and to prevent costly lawsuits.  Podcasts could make the policies less laborious and more accessable.   CEs would provide an additional motivation.  John Hopkins and other major universities already provide educational podcasts for nurses and medic

Handwashing compliance

Submitted by Sharan Nicola-Smith on January 28, 2014 - 3:31pm Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

I recently was vacationing on a cruise ship and was greeted continually  by a  smiling person who sanitized every person's hands when entering restaurants, bars, or when entering the ship after going ashore.  I was very impressed with  the way this necessary activity was handled.   This was the practice for the entire ship during my entire stay.    In a hospital situation this would be possible on entering the hospital for visitors making it a  pleasant reminder rather  than an opptional activity.

consent signing via ipad

Submitted by Laurel Poole on January 28, 2014 - 2:51pm Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

I would like to suggest doing our department consent signing for procedures in apex online via ipad like device. This would save paper, and time for practicioners and staff. I would like our department to work on having a paperless environment. Thanks, Laurel Poole

No shows at outreach clinics

Submitted by Cynthia Gardner on January 28, 2014 - 12:00pm Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

I schedule the liver outreach clinics for Reno, Modesto and Fresno. Every month about two weeks prior to clinic is send them a courtesy reminder letter. The letter reminds them of the date, time, location, make sure lab work is done, and to reschedule after the appoinment.

I also take the time when I first register them for outreach that our liver clinics are only once a month, that it is important to try to keep appointment, but that we do understand that emergencies do happen.

The patients tell me that the appoinment reminder letters help them a lot.

Donate instead of Discard

Submitted by Meghan Mullen on January 28, 2014 - 9:23am Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

I am a nurse in Labor and Delivery which, to my understading, is an expensive unit to run.  If perhaps we could establish a relationship with a lower resource community that was in need of clean gloves and sutures and laps etc so when a patient needs to have a c-section and a labor and delivery pack has already been opened for her, the unused materials would not be thrown away but donated.  Perhaps they could be then counted for charity and written off? In any event we would be caring more wisely and would be reducing so much waste of materials.

Make early morning Phlebotomy draws ordered, not defaulted

Submitted by Brian Herriot on January 28, 2014 - 9:22am Last revised by Web Producer on March 13, 2014 - 12:43pm.
Idea Status: 
Review Complete

This idea was raised during a patient panel in support of Mission Bay operations & transition planning efforts.

 

As a way to encourage patient sleep as part of the healing process, the patient requested that morning phlebotomy draws be reduced or eliminated. 

 

As a follow up, and when discussed anecdotally with clinicians--including physician representation--we learned that in most cases, the morning labs are not part of the daily physician rounding work up & process, and therefore a wasteful exercise.

 

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